Your Spring Training Guide for Arizona’s Cactus League

Every year, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams that make up the Cactus League travel to Arizona’s Phoenix Metropolitan Area for spring training. Eight cities and 10 stadiums welcome 15 teams, including the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants, that escape the cold to play preseason games in this southwestern state.

About 60 percent of spring Cactus League attendees come from out of state, according to the Cactus League Association, and while baseball is the key draw this time of year, you (sadly) can’t spend your entire time watching your favorite teams. It serves to plan ahead for those rare moments when you have to find something else to do in each participating city. 

While all of these Arizona cities are located close to one another, they each happen to have their own, unique charm. Just see for yourself.

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All of Arizona’s spring training sites are part of Phoenix and its surroundings. Still, each stadium and city has something unique to offer.

Stadium: American Family Fields of Phoenix/Camelback Ranch

Capacity: 10,000/13,000

Teams: Milwaukee Brewers (American Family Fields)/Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers (Camelback Ranch)

Phoenix is the center of Arizona spring training. You can watch three teams play in two stadiums without leaving the city. But you’ll also have access to every other stadium in the Cactus League. Spend your off time hiking Camelback Mountain, relaxing at one of the area’s famed spas or visiting the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Go to Durant’s for great steak or to the family-owned Rito’s Mexican food.

Where to stay: GreenTree Hotel Phoenix West

Stadium: Peoria Sports Complex

Capacity: 12,339

Teams: San Diego Padres/Seattle Mariners

One of Phoenix’s most exciting suburbs, Peoria offers tons of cool activities for those who like to keep active and enjoy the outdoors. Lake Pleasant Region Park is particularly favored since it provides 23,000 acres fit for doing everything from boating to skiing to camping. During the right times of the year, you can even go scuba diving on the lake. Another cool attraction is the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum, where you can see how early Western settlers lived. Alternatively, you can try your luck at the Desert Diamond Casino or walk the grounds of the Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park.

Where to stay: Comfort Suites Peoria Sports Complex

Stadium: Hohokam Stadium/Sloan Park

Capacity: 10,500/13,000

Teams: Oakland Athletics/Chicago Cubs

Use your non-baseball time in Mesa to get cultured. Learn about the Hohokam people at the Mesa Grande Cultural Park. Catch a show at the Mesa Arts Center, or see dinosaurs at the Arizona Museum of Natural History. For something more active, go hiking at Papago Park.

Where to stay: Delta Hotels by Marriott Phoenix Mesa